We supply our own bathroom supplies at the Walker Building at the Range. If you can bring some TP or soap, please sign up using this Sign-up Genius Link. *Note: We don’t want to keep a stash of extra this year because there are mice who tend to get into it in our supply room. Therefore, we ask that you bring it on the day you signed up for and immediately distribute it to the bathroom stalls. Thanks!
Author Archive | Rosemary Shea-Cobb
Mad River Scramble Recap
Charlie Goosen, Finn Labor and Oliver Tremble on the starting line for the 3/4 race.
This year’s Mad River Scramble was held on Sunday 1/22 at Blueberry Lake Touring Center in Warren Vt. I had never been to Blueberry Lake so I went early and explore the trails on my classic skis. Tid-tech groomed with classic tracks and a skate lane, the trails meander through woods and fields. One side of the road holds the more advanced terrain with some steep twisting fun downhills, and the other side has more gradual terrain, still featuring plenty of twists and turns to keep if fun and interesting. The BKL races were held on the gradual terrain side of the road with the Lollipop, 1/2 & 3/4 races winding around a loop in a field. The 5/6 and 7/8 courses were more challenging with some sharp 90 degree and hairpin turns and a narrow and sometimes bumpy skate lane through the woods that made passing other skiers and keeping upright in your V-2 a challenge!
We had a very good turn-out for MNC despite some last minute cancellations due to illness. Nine MNC kids did the race and joined others from Mad River Valley, Sleepy Hollow, Woodstock, Craftsbury and Frost Mountain. All our skiers skied very well and were awarded with ribbons and treats at the finish line. Congratulations to Daisy Tremble (Lollipop), Johannes Holenbach (Lollipop), Ollie Laber (1/2), Oliver Tremble (3/4), Finn Laber (3/4), Charlie Goosen (3/4), Mazzy Merrit (3/4), Oakley Crawford (5/6), Liam Vile (5/6) and Fiona Repp (5/6). It was so much fun to watch everyone race today! Everyone is skiing so well!
Daisy Tremble shoots down the trail in the Lollipop Race.
Ollie Laber skied so fast that I only caught him crossing the finish line!
Johannes relaxes with cousins Daisy and Oliver after all that hard racing!
Finn, Mazzy, Oliver and Ollie. Word has it that some of these kids spent the morning on downhill skis at Cochran’s before coming to race here. Skimeisters!
Liam started a couple of skiers back but passed all of them and pounded up the hill to first place!
Oakley had an amazing race and passed about ten kids out there, having an argument with one of them about which side was the “right” along the way! Ha!
This is Fiona getting blocked by a skier just as she started the uphill climb to the finish. See the next pic to find out what happens!
In a gusty move, Fiona pulls to the side and splurges an awesome double pole, quickly passing this skier on her way up to the finish line!
BKL Practice Week of 1/22
We’ll be at the Range all this week. Remember to check in as EABC at the gate.
Tuesday 1/24: At the Range!
Penguins: Classic
Jack Rabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers: Skate
Devos: Check the Jr. Training Doc
Thursday 1/26: At the Range!
Jack Rabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers/Devos: Classic
Saturday: Devos: Craftsbury Marathon BKL
*Check with Coach Kristin for details. Registration closes on Wed. 1/25
Sunday: Racers Practice 10- 11:30am
Sleepy Hollow Ski Center, Huntington
Distance Classic w/ Coach Rosemary
BKL Practice Week of 1/16/2023
Hurray for cold and a little more snow! This week we’ll be at the Range!
Tuesday, 1/17: The Range!
Important: Check in as EABC. Adults need their Driver’s License. Please go no more than 25 MPH on base.
Penguins: Classic
Jack Rabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers & Devos: SKATE
**Racers and others who have rock skis- bring them for games on the fields in addition to your regular skis.
Thursday, 1/19: The Range!
Jack Rabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers & Devos: SKATE
1/22 Sunday Racers: Mad River Scramble is ON!
Sign-up HERE to let me know you are coming & to get any email updates. Registration link below.
Plan to arrive 1 hour before your race start. Coach Rosemary will be there to help preview the course, etc.
Mad River BKL Race and Fun!
Sunday, January 22th
12:30 PM – 2:15 PM
Welcome North West Vermont (NWVT) BKL skiers! We are excited to be hosting the Mad River BKL event at Blueberry Lake Cross Country Ski and Snowshoe Center—an age based wave start freestyle race except for lollipoppers and 1st/2nd Grade who will be skiing a classic race.
Blueberry Lake XC and Snowshoe Center
424 Plunkton Road
Warren, VT 05674
Registration:
Online registration is open until Friday January 20 at 9:00 pm (click the link below). Day of registration and bib pick up is open Sunday, January 22th from 11:30 AM – 1:15PM. Registration will close an hour before the scheduled start. Cost is $6 per skier. No charge for lollipoppers (K/Pre-K). All registration payments will be in person on January 22nd – cash or check.
Volunteers Needed: We need volunteers to help with various jobs, please sign up if you can help.
Race Technique & Course: The race technique will be freestyle (skate) except for lollipoppers and 1st/2nd Grade who will be skiing a classic race. Start format will be a wave start for each age group. Race course TBD.
12:30 PM – Lollipop (Kindergarten/pre-K) ~.5km
12:45 PM – Grades 1/2 ~1km
1:15 PM – Grades 3/4 ~ 2km
1:45 PM – Grades 5/6 ~3km
2:15 PM – Grades 7/8 ~4k
Results & Awards
Awards will happen in the finish area immediately following each race. Participants will receive a ribbon and a treat.
Questions? Contact the Race Director, Justin Beckwith justin@nensa.net
BKL Makes Lemonade from Lemons: Climbing, Dryland & the Bogburn
Liam V skis through the lap lane at the Rikert Bogburn.
BKL kids have been handed a lot of lemons lately- no snow to ski on, warm temps, cancelled races, Range closed. They have been doing a great job of making the best of things and turning it all into Lemonade!
Last Tuesday, BKL kids did a day at MetroRocks Climbing gym. Lots of fun was had by all- Penguins through Racers. We did the self-belays, the bouldering walls and some kids found the Foozball too. Everyone went home with smiling faces and tired arms! (Photos below).
Thursday had us back at Mill River Park for some dryland adventures. These gung-ho kids had fun doing a muddy run, some speedball and soccer and lots of agility in waning light and dark.
As the week went on, ski conditions just seemed to get worse. I promised the Racers that we would definitely ski on Saturday, so when Saturday’s BKL race at Sleepy Hollow was cancelled, we quickly changed plans and everyone signed up for the Bogburn which had been moved from its traditional location in Pomfret to Rikert Touring Center in Ripton. We had a very strong showing with 13 kids from MNC racing. Were conditions great? No! Kind of like a ribbon of icy snow with a very well set track. The people at Rikert did a great job preparing a ski course that held up to the 200 or so racers. Even the tricky downhill that seemed icy at first softened up as it was skied in and wasn’t bad at all. MNC skiers did very well- most of them finishing in the top ten of their age groups! We have a very strong team! Congratulations to Daisy Tremble who skied the Lollipop, Oliver Tremble, Finn and Ollie Laber and Izabella Altodonna who all skied the Gr. 1-4 race, Ansel Sprague, Oakley Crawford and Liam Vile who skied the 5/6 race, and to James Langan, Isobel Calfee, Kate Carlson, Brooke Greenberg and Astrid Longtreth who all skied the 7/8 race. We also had one U16 ski (Niko Cuneo) and 7 Masters skiers. A few photos below.
MetroRocks:
Catherine gives us an intro session before we climbed. We had about 30 kids climbing!
Arctic Fox friends!
Rory on a self-belay route.
Even the Penguins got in on the action!
Our 7/8 girls swept the podium at Bogburn!
